{"id":1929,"date":"2020-05-13T18:02:23","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T10:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=1929"},"modified":"2020-09-14T22:26:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T14:26:49","slug":"blood-donation-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/blood-donation-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese Farmer Starts Blood Donation Club, Helps Save Thousands Of Patients’ Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blood donation club saves thousands of patients’ lives<\/h2>\n
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The nationwide social distancing policy implemented in Vietnam for most of April, while necessary to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, left major impacts on businesses across the country<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For us, it meant we had to go a couple of weeks without our beloved bubble tea and coffee, but for patients desperately in need of blood transfusions,<\/strong> it was a matter of life and death, as blood donation programs were halted<\/strong> and hospitals were met with severe blood shortages<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Luckily, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Tr\u1ea7n Ph\u01b0\u1edbc H\u00f9ng, a farmer living in the central city of \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng, and his blood donation club, many lives were saved.<\/p>\n

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The blood donation club started in 2015<\/h3>\n
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Talking to tienphong.vn<\/a>, Mr. H\u00f9ng, 39, shared that the first time he donated blood, he got very emotional upon seeing his blood transferred to a patient in need. As a result, in 2015, he gathered blood donors in the area to establish a blood donation club named \u201cM\u00e1u n\u00f3ng – Hi\u1ec3u v\u00e0 th\u01b0\u01a1ng\u201d <\/em><\/strong>(Hot blood \u2013 Understanding and love).<\/p>\n

After 5 years of operation, the club has now garnered 1,400 members<\/strong> in \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng and the nearby province of Qu\u1ea3ng Nam.<\/p>\n

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\nA club member donating blood<\/em>
\nImage credit: CLB M\u00e1u n\u00f3ng Hi\u1ec3u v\u00e0 Th\u01b0\u01a1ng \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Initially, Mr. H\u00f9ng used handwritten notes to keep track of members\u2019 info such as their contact details, blood type, and blood donation history<\/strong>. As the number of members grew, though, that method became too inconvenient, so he asked a club member who is a programmer<\/strong> to write a software programme to help him keep track of things digitally<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe software has helped us respond more quickly when there is a demand, as everything is shown in the database. Thanks to it, our operation has become a lot smoother,\u201d Mr. H\u00f9ng shared.<\/p>\n

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\nMr. H\u00f9ng working on the software programme to contact available members for blood donation<\/em>
\nImage credit: tienphong.vn<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Last April, when Vietnam entered social distancing nationwide to contain COVID-19, hospitals in \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng faced a serious shortage of blood<\/strong> as blood donation campaigns could not be carried out. The club\u2019s operation also took a hit as many members had left the big city to return to their hometowns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t stop Mr. H\u00f9ng and his comrades in their effort to save lives. Notices of patients in urgent need<\/strong> were posted on the group\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> almost on a daily basis, with many comments asking if the demand had been met.<\/p>\n

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\nA notice posted on the club’s Facebook page on 16th April, with members commenting to leave their phone numbers<\/em>
\nImage credit: Tr\u1ea7n Ph\u01b0\u1edbc H\u00f9ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Ph\u1ea1m Th\u1ecb Ng\u1ecdc \u00c1nh, head of \u0110\u00e0 N\u1eb5ng Hospital’s Haematology and Blood Transfusion Department, said that M\u00e1u n\u00f3ng – Hi\u1ec3u v\u00e0 th\u01b0\u01a1ng <\/em>was one of the most active blood donation clubs<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>Their contribution was invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was thanks to their enthusiasm that doctors felt more confident treating patients.<\/p>\n

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\nClub members organizing a blood donation event on 16th February<\/em>
\nImage credit: Tr\u1ea7n Ph\u01b0\u1edbc H\u00f9ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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You can contribute too<\/h3>\n
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If you are in Vietnam and want to donate blood yourself, here are a few destinations in the big cities where you can do so:<\/p>\n

In Hanoi<\/strong><\/p>\n